Yes

Paul Nixon, former England one-day international

The IPL is one of the biggest cricket tournaments in the world and someone of the stature of Andrew Flintoff deserves to play on such a stage. His principal motivation for doing so may be money but if you are at the top of your field you deserve to be paid top money and without question, Freddie is at the top of his field.

There are naturally concerns over Freddie's fitness, especially after what's happened to him in the West Indies, but it should be remembered that he will only be bowling four overs per match in India and will have rest days in between. Compared to the gruelling schedule of a Test series, the IPL is a walk in the park and as long as he gets some Test-match practice in after coming back from India, Freddie, I'm sure, will be fit and firing on all cylinders ahead of the Ashes.

Indeed, competing in the IPL may benefit Freddie. Twenty20 cricket forces players to really concentrate on their game in high-pressure situations as they know one bad over or one loose shot can lose their side the match in an instant. That type of experience can only be good ahead of a series against Australia where there will be plenty of high- pressure moments.

Beyond the Ashes, playing in the IPL will also set Freddie up for the next World Cup. As our performance in the last tournament showed, England still need to improve when it comes to playing in top-level limited overs matches and there is no better practice environment for this than the IPL, where the best players come up against the best players.

Make no mistake, Freddie will be desperate to play in the Ashes. He more than anyone knows it is the ultimate battle for any English cricketer and would not even have considered taking part in the IPL if he thought it would have jeopardised his chances of facing the Aussies. If Freddie thinks his body can take playing these games then I'm sure he can.

Some people have been praising Ricky Ponting for pulling out of the IPL in order to concentrate on the Ashes, but he may have taken this decision purely on the grounds that he does not enjoy Twenty20 cricket any more and perhaps feels it is harming his Test performances. There is nothing wrong with that but it is not necessarily a stance Freddie also has to take. If he wants to play cricket, wherever it may be, he should be allowed to do just that.

No

Bob Taylor, former England international

If Andrew Flintoff is concerned about financial rewards then he should play in the Indian Premier League, but if he wants to enhance his England legacy than he needs to focus on playing in the Ashes and there is a good chance he will not be fit enough to do that if he competes in the IPL. As this current series in the West Indies has shown, Flintoff's fitness remains a concern and the more he plays the more liable he is to break down.

The temptation to take part in India is understandable, the figures being banded around for doing three weeks work out there are unbelievable. But money should not be a concern for Andrew now. With his central contract and numerous endorsements, he is already set for life and will earn plenty more money with or without the IPL. He should, therefore, forget about that and think ahead to facing Australia.

Andrew more than anyone knows how big the Ashes are. His contribution to England's success in 2005 has defined his career and a similarly crucial display this year would rank Andrew as one of the greatest players England has ever had. He cannot risk missing out on that opportunity. What's more, if Andrew's on-going injury problems are as bad as they appear then this could be his last ever Ashes. Missing out could, therefore, be a disaster.

It could also be disastrous for England. No one player is the difference between victory and defeat but all teams need an excellent all-rounder to stand any chance of success and Flintoff is undoubtedly ours. He reminds me of Ian Botham and can prove to be as equally effective; the man who scores so many runs with the bat and takes so many wickets with the ball that it does not matter if players around him have an off-day. Without him we could end up well and truly stuck.

More than anything, it would be hugely symbolic if Andrew pulled out of the IPL in order to focus on the Ashes. Ricky Ponting has done just that for Australia and that can only have given them a boost. Ponting has rightly realised that with top-class cricket being so hectic these days, players need to pace themselves if they are to be at their best for the best tournaments. The Ashes is unquestionably the best tournament for England and if Andrew Flintoff has anything about him he will see that and do what is best for him and his country and pull out of the IPL.